Day 8 Dakar 2014: Despres Picks Up First Special Stage Victory

Monday was the second day of the marathon stage in Bolivia. The riders had to race through the stunning landscapes of the Altiplano plateau from Bolivia to Chile. The whole stage was held at an altitude of 11,500 feet, making it an enormous challenge for man and machine. The athletes half-circled and crossed the “Salar de Uyuni,” the biggest salt flat in the world. There were no major hurdles riding-wise, so it was mostly about keeping calm and collected and nurse the bike and tires towards the bivouac.

Third to start this morning, Despres soon caught up with Marc Coma to ride together and gradually rein in Joan Barreda. Despite the Honda rider stepping on the gas at the end of the stage, at the finishing line it was the Frenchman who tasted triumph, 2:10 ahead of Barreda and 2:16 in front of Marc Coma. Behind them Portugal’s Helder Rodrigues and Frenchman Olivier Pain confirmed the good form of the Hondas and Yamahas with the day’s 4th and 5th places. The day was marked by the difficulties encountered by Sherco. Juan Pedrero lost 14:25, and Alain Duclos again suffered misfortunes, this time a mechanical problem at the start of the stage, leading to a loss of almost 35 minutes.

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